Morrison wins co-angler title
Drew Boggs of Lebanon, Tennessee, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 21 pounds, 13 ounces, Saturday to win the FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) LBL Division tournament on Kentucky and Barkley lakes presented by Navionics. For his victory, Boggs took home $4,872.
Boggs said his morning was marred with equipment malfunctions that forced him to borrow a boat and return to the takeoff ramp for a mandatory boat inspection.
“After all of my troubles, I arrived at my area and threw my first cast at 10 a.m.” said Boggs, who earned his third win in FLW competition. “I spent the day on the south end of the lake flipping a green-pumpkin-colored Big Bite Baits soft-plastic into flooded bushes.
“The bushes I preferred were in two spawning pockets and had more water covering them than others,” said Boggs. “I would’ve hit more but I only had a few hours to fish. All five of the bass I weighed in came from my second pocket, along a 75-yard stretch.”
The Tennessee angler said he ended up boating six keepers in a 45-minute flurry.
“I was just grateful to be fishing after the morning I had,” said Boggs. “It was humbling to overcome that adversity and still go out there and catch nearly 22 pounds for the win.”
‘The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Drew Boggs, Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 21-13, $4,872
2nd: Ron Smith, Walton, Ky., five bass, 21-11, $2,436
3rd: James Biondo, Tellico Plains, Tenn., five bass, 19-0, $1,623
4th: Eric Sanders, Lexington, Ky., five bass, 18-4, $1,137
5th: Cory York, Benton, Ky., five bass, 18-1, $974
6th: David Young, Mayfield, Ky., five bass, 17-11, $893
7th: Craig Hipsher, Benton, Ky., five bass, 17-8, $1,547
8th: Chris Beaudrie, Shepherdsville, Ky., five bass, 17-7, $731
9th: David Hames, Trezevant, Tenn., five bass, 16-10, $650
10th: Karl Cassens, South Fulton, Tenn., five bass, 16-9, $568
Hipsher caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division, a fish weighing 6 pounds even, and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $735.
Bryce Morrison of Collierville, Tennessee, weighed in five bass totaling 16 pounds, 2 ounces, Saturday to win the co-angler division and earn $2,436.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Bryce Morrison, Collierville, Tenn., five bass, 16-2, $2,436
2nd: John Dunn, Paducah, Ky., five bass, 15-14, $1,218
3rd: Gabe Montgomery, Jackson, Mo., five bass, 15-10, $691
3rd: Harbor Lovin, Fayetteville, Ohio, five bass, 15-10, $691
5th: Ricky Boehringer, Troy, Ohio, five bass, 15-8, $487
6th: Daniel Owens, Killen, Ala., five bass, 15-4, $447
7th: Greg Mullins, Mount Vernon, Ill., five bass, 15-3, $406
8th: Danny Nicklin, Highland, Ill., five bass, 14-1, $345
8th: Joe James III, Jackson, Mo., five bass, 14-1, $345
10th: Danny Robinson, Fairland, Ind., five bass, 13-13, $284
Kevin Womack of Bardstown, Kentucky, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 6 pounds, 4 ounces and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $367.
The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 6-8 Regional Championship on Lake Chickamauga in Dayton, Tennessee. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.
The BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 120 tournaments throughout the season, five in each division. The top 50 boaters and co-anglers from each division qualify for a regional tournament and are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2016 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 235 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico and South Korea. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pro
By: Brian Johnson, FLW
